A police ministers meeting in Darwin this week agreed it was
"unacceptable websites advocating or facilitating violent protest action
be accessible from Australia".

Internet regulator, the Australian Broadcasting Authority, only last
week decided not to block access to websites organising protests for the
World Trade Organisation meeting in Sydney.

But police ministers are so concerned by cyber crime and
Internet-assisted crime they have made it one of their priorities,
agreeing to examine new laws and establishing a Hi-Tech Crime Centre.

Senator Ellison, who was unable to comment yesterday, has directed a
review of telecommunications offences and vowed to use Commonwealth powers
"to the maximum" to block websites.

Mr Costa said the World Trade Organisation protest websites advocated
violence against police and similar websites were used last year to rally
protesters for the Commonwealth Heads Of Government Meeting held in
Queensland.

The Hi-Tech Crime Centre would be run by the federal police, and
follows Senator Ellison's decision to give the new Australian Crime
Commission the power to investigate cyber crime.

Former Aspley State High principal Ian Isaacs and deputy principal Mary
McMahon were defamed in an e-mail directing people to a bogus website.

Mr Isaacs and Mrs McMahon were falsely accused on the Internet of gross
acts involving four pupils.

The information was tracked to an address in Victoria but police could
not search the premises because the relevant Queensland offence was only a
summary one. No arrests were made.

Mr Isaacs, who remains on stress leave, said yesterday he would welcome
new Commonwealth defamation laws if they enabled offenders to be dealt
with swiftly.

"It's an excellent idea," he said. "It would break through the
difficulties of operating across (state) boundaries and protocols which
slow the system down.

"Defamation should definitely be a criminal offence in Queensland and
there should be jail penalties. It can destroy someone's life."

An e-mail notifying hundreds of students, teachers and parents of the
website later spread through the Aspley High community.

Mr McGrady said the Aspley case had been referred to the E-Crime Law
Reform Working Party.

While that would not enable charges to be laid, it could prevent
similar cases.

State Opposition Justice spokesman Lawrence Springborg said that
despite the federal proposals, he would introduce a Private Member's Bill
on defamation in Parliament today. It would call for defamation to be an
indictable offence with up to five years' jail on conviction.